U.S. patent application number 10/532569 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-08 for ring with blood sampling for dna analysis.
Invention is credited to Teychene, Bruno.
Application Number | 20050273117 10/532569 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32050616 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050273117 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Teychene, Bruno |
December 8, 2005 |
Ring with blood sampling for dna analysis
Abstract
The invention concerns a ring for marking and identifying
animals comprising a male tag with a punch passing through the
animal's ear and penetrating into a hollow head (2) of a female tag
(1) under the action of a clamp. The invention is characterised in
that one of the male or female tags is provided with a means (7),
lateral to label and detachable therefrom, for sampling biological
material extracted from the animal's ear wall when it is pieced by
the punch, said sampling means including an absorbent material
(9/13), and in that said means (7) is linked to one of the jaws (3)
of the clamp and the opening of the clamp jaws and/or its removal
from the animal's ear separates the sampling means (7) from the tag
concerned (1).
Inventors: |
Teychene, Bruno;
(Mouzieys-Teulet, FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025-1030
US
|
Family ID: |
32050616 |
Appl. No.: |
10/532569 |
Filed: |
April 21, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
October 21, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP03/50740 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
606/116 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 11/003
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
606/116 |
International
Class: |
A61B 017/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 22, 2002 |
FR |
02/13134 |
Claims
1. Ear tag for marking and identifying animals comprising a male
tag panel with a punch that, in use, perforates the animal's ear
and penetrates into a hollow head of a female tag panel under the
action of an applicator tool, one of the male or female tag panels
is provided with a sampling device, lateral to the tag panel and
separable therefrom, for sampling biological material extracted
from the ear of the animal when it is pierced by the punch, said
sampling device comprising an absorbent material, and said sampling
device is linked to one of the jaws of the applicator tool and the
opening of the clamp jaws and/or its removal from the animal's ear
separates the sampling device from the tag panel concerned.
2. Ear tag according to claim 1, wherein the sampling device is
attached to the female tag panel.
3. Ear tag according to claim 1 wherein the sampling device
comprises an attachment to be fixed on one of the jaws of the
applicator tool.
4. Ear tag according to claim 1, wherein absorbent material is
disposed transversely to the direction in which, in use the male
punch penetrates through the animal's ear and to the axis of the
hollow head of the female tag panel, the sampling material being
posterior to the ear wall.
5. Ear tag according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent material is a
sampling strip one end of which is fixed to the attachment linked
to the applicator tool and the other is transversal to the
direction of penetration of the punch through the animal's ear.
6. Ear tag according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent material is
connected by one of its ends transversely to the interior of the
hollow head of the female tag panel and by its other end to an
attachment to be fixed to the jaw of the applicator tool.
7. Applicator tool enabling the fitting of the ear tag of claims 3
wherein one of the jaws of the applicator tool is provided with a
fixing arrangement for the attachment to which the absorbent
material is linked.
8. Ear tag according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent material is
disposed transversely to the axis of the hollow head of the female
tag panel.
9. Ear tag according to claim 3 wherein the attachment is fixed
onto the periphery of an opening of the hollow head of the female
tag panel.
10. Ear tag according to claim 9, wherein the attachment and the
sampling device are slit over the opening of the hollow head of the
female tag panel.
11. Ear tag according to claim 3 wherein the male tag panel, the
female tag panel and the attachment are provided with identical
symbols for marking and identification.
12. Ear tag for marking and identifying animals the ear tag
including a male tag component with a punch that, in use,
perforates the animal's ear and penetrates into a hollow head of a
female tag component under the action of an applicator tool, the
female tag component is provided with a sampling device, lateral to
the female component and separable therefrom, for sampling
biological material extracted from the ear of the animal when it is
pierced by the punch. said sampling device having an absorbent
material, and an attachment to fix the sampling device to one of
the jaws of the applicator tool and upon opening of the jaws and/or
its removal from the animal's ear separates the sampling device
from the female tag component.
13. Ear tag according to claim 12, wherein the absorbent material
is disposed transversely to the direction in which, in use, the
male punch penetrates through the animal's ear and to the axis of
the hollow head of the female tag component, the sampling material
being posterior to the ear wall.
14. Ear tag according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the absorbent
material is a sampling strip, one end of which is fixed to the
attachment and the other is located transverse to the direction of
penetration of the punch through the animal's ear.
15. Ear tag according to claim 14 wherein the absorbent material is
connected by one of its ends transversely to the interior of the
hollow head of the female tag panel and by its other end to said
attachment.
16. Ear tag according to claim 14 wherein the attachment is fixed
onto the periphery of the hollow head of the female tag
component.
17. Ear tag according to claim 16 wherein the attachment and
sampling device are slit over an opening of the hollow head of the
female tag component.
18. Ear tag according to claim 15 wherein the attachment is fixed
onto the periphery of the hollow head of the female tag
component.
19. Ear tag according to claim 18 wherein the attachment and the
sampling device are slit over an opening of the hollow head of the
female tag component.
20. Ear tag according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the male tag
component, the female tag component each include a panel, the
panels and the attachment being each provided with identical
symbols for marking and identification.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of marking and
identifying productive livestock.
[0002] Since the marking of animals by means of tags attached to
their ears is mandatory, a means of taking a sample of organic
material that can be retrieved and stored to identify the animal
subsequently, in particular by its DNA, is known.
[0003] Known ear tags comprise a tag panel with a hollow head, the
so-called female tag panel, and a tag panel with a punch, the
so-called male tag panel, the punch penetrating into the hollow
head after having passed through the animal's ear wall under the
action of a clamp, wherein one jaw receives the female tag panel
and the other the male tag panel.
[0004] Previous patents, notably WO 99/61882, DE19740429 and FR
0104570, are based on the sampling of biological material by a
cutting die means borne by one of the jaws of the clamp, said means
being separated from the clamp for storage.
[0005] This known technique has the advantage of taking the sample
at the same time as the tag is fitted and of allowing the
biological material sampled to be removed after the fitting of the
tag and the withdrawal of the clamp.
[0006] Patent WO 01/87054 describes a device for taking a specimen
for cattle identification that is no longer attached to the clamp
but is fixed to one of the ear tag panels.
[0007] More precisely, this sampling device is a strip of absorbent
material glued both to the tag panel bearing the punch, and around
said punch.
[0008] This patent uses the absorbent capacity of the material to
take a blood and/or cell sample or a sample of the mucous membranes
of the animal.
[0009] According to this patent, the sampling operation is carried
out at the same time as the tag is fitted, but the removal of the
specimen carrier consisting of the strip of absorbent material must
be carried out after the clamp has been removed by unsticking the
strip while the tag is fastened to the animal, which is not
easy.
[0010] Moreover, as it is glued to the base of the male punch, the
absorbent strip is at a distance from the point at which the ear is
pierced, and the sample taken may be quantitatively insufficient or
even non-existent.
[0011] It became apparent, nevertheless, that taking a drop of
blood using an absorbent material, as was performed in neonatal
tests before the invention described in patent WO 01/87054, could
have application in the field concerned, provided that the
conditions of use corresponded to those suitable for the particular
case of applying tags to animals'ears, which optimally require that
the operation should be carried out instantaneously and not in
stages.
[0012] This is one of the goals of the present invention, which the
invention achieves by use of an ear tag that facilitates the
sampling operation, together with a special clamp.
[0013] To this end, the ear tag for marking and identifying animals
according to the invention, comprising a male tag panel with a
punch that perforates the animal's ear and, after having passed
through the ear, penetrates into the hollow head of a female tag
panel under the action of a clamp, is characterised in that one of
the male or female tag panels is provided with a means, lateral to
the tag panel and separable therefrom, for sampling biological
material extracted from the animal's ear when it is pierced by the
punch, said sampling means comprising an absorbent material, and in
that said means is linked to one of the jaws of the clamp and the
opening of the clamp jaws and/or its removal from the animal's ear
separates the sampling means from the tag concerned.
[0014] According to another embodiment, the ear tag is
characterised in that the sampling means is attached to the female
tag panel.
[0015] According to another embodiment, the tag is characterised in
that the sampling means comprises an attachment to be fixed to one
of the jaws of the clamp and an absorbent material.
[0016] The ear tag is also characterised in that the absorbent
material is disposed transversely to the direction of penetration
of the male punch through the ear and to the axis of the hollow
head of the female tag panel.
[0017] The ear tag is also characterised in that the absorbent
material is a sampling strip, wherein one end is fixed to the
attachment and the other free end is transversal to the direction
of penetration of the punch through the animal's ear.
[0018] The ear tag is also characterised in that the absorbent
material is connected by one of its ends transversely to the
interior of the hollow head of the female tag panel and by its
other end to an attachment to be fixed to the jaw of the clamp.
[0019] The clamp enabling the fitting of the ear tag according the
invention, of which it forms an integral part, is characterised in
that one of the jaws of the clamp is provided with a fixing means
for the attachment to which the absorbent material is linked.
[0020] Further advantages and characteristics of the invention will
become apparent on reading the following description of forms of
embodiment of the invention given as non-limiting examples and
illustrated by the attached drawings, wherein:
[0021] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a form of embodiment of an ear tag panel
according to the invention;
[0022] FIGS. 4-5 show a further form of embodiment of the ear tag
panel according to the invention;
[0023] FIGS. 6 and 7 show two forms of embodiment of the clamp
according to the invention for fitting ear tags according to the
invention;
[0024] FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show a further form of embodiment of the
ear tag panel according to the invention;
[0025] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a further form of embodiment of the tag
panel according to the invention.
[0026] In the attached diagrams, FIGS. 1 to 5 show a so-called
female tag panel 1, from an ear tag of known type comprising a male
tag panel, not shown, with a pin in the form of a punch that
pierces the animal's ear wall and is housed in the hollow head of
the female tag panel.
[0027] Reference 1 designates the tag panel that carries
conventional markings.
[0028] Reference 2 designates the hollow head into which the punch
of the male tag panel (not shown) is housed in permanent
manner.
[0029] The hollow head of the female tag panel is mounted on the
jaw 3 of the clamp (FIGS. 6-7) and is held there by a lever 4.
[0030] The punch of the female .sup.1[sic] tag panel is mounted on
the prick punch 5 on the jaw 6 acting in opposition to the jaw 3.
.sup.1TRANSLATOR'S NOTE: the French original uses the word female.
This is probably meant to be male.
[0031] Bringing the jaws together with the ear wall between them
causes the perforation of the latter and the permanent penetration
of the male punch into the female head, the tag being fixed to the
ear in a single operation.
[0032] Opening the clamp frees the animal's ear, now fitted with
the tag.
[0033] According to the invention, either of the male or female tag
panels is provided with a sampling means 7 that is attached to the
panel in such a way that it can be separated from it when the tag
is fixed to the animal's ear and the clamp is removed from the
ear.
[0034] The sampling means lateral to the tag panel and separable
from it comprises an attachment 8 to which is fixed, or which bears
upon it, an absorbent material 9.
[0035] The attachment 8 is linked to one of the jaws 3/6 of the
clamp for fitting the tag.
[0036] The absorbent material is disposed transversely to the
direction of penetration of the punch of the male tag panel towards
and into the hollow head of the female tag panel so that, when the
ear wall is pierced, it collects the blood or the biological
material removed from the ear.
[0037] The sampling means is disposed partly on the tag panel and
partly outside the tag panel. The fixing onto the tag panel of the
sampling means 7, consisting of the attachment 8 and the absorbent
material, is carried out in a non-permanent way so that when the
tag is fitted by opening the clamp to which the attachment 8 is
fixed, the sampling means 7 is separated from the tag panel.
[0038] This separation is facilitated by the withdrawal and removal
of the clamp from the animal's ear.
[0039] Preferably the sampling means is borne by the tag panel
having the female head.
[0040] The absorbent material is disposed transversely to the axis
of the female head, either at the mouth of its opening or in its
blind channel.
[0041] It is particularly advantageous that the absorbent material
should be posterior to the ear wall, thus ensuring that it will be
in contact with the biological material borne by the punch.
[0042] FIGS. 1 to 3 show a particular form of embodiment of the
invention.
[0043] FIGS. 1/2 show the female tag panel seen from the side of
the mouth of the head 2.
[0044] The attachment 8 consists of a strip of synthetic or other
material fixed to the edge of the tag at the level of the female
head and radial to said head.
[0045] The attachment is fixed in such a way as to allow the
connection with the tag to be broken by the pulling action of the
user who, after opening the clamp, removes it from the animal's
ear.
[0046] To this, end a break-line 10, for example a line of reduced
thickness, is disposed on the attachment 8, level with where it
joins to the known tag shown in FIG. 3.
[0047] In this form of embodiment, the absorbent material consists
of a flexible strip of any known type that is fixed to the
attachment strip by a part behind the break-line or area 10 and
which is free forward of that area 10 above the opening of the
female head.
[0048] The attachment 8 is provided with a means for fixing it to
the jaw 3 of the clamp.
[0049] This means is a perforation 11 through which the folded
attachment strip is locked onto a dog point 12 on the clamp jaw as
shown in FIG. 6. In the example of embodiment of the invention
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the hollow head of the female tag panel is
provided with a transverse perforation across its diameter into
which the absorbent material in the form of a wick 12 of
appropriate cross-section is introduced, passing through the
so-called head 2 and exiting on both sides.
[0050] On one side of the head, the wick is preferably fixed to the
tag panel 1, for example by a glue spot 13.
[0051] On the other side of the head, the wick is fixed to an
attachment 8 consisting of a strip of synthetic material or other
provided with a perforation 11 that allows the attachment to be
fixed to a hook 14 on the lever 4.
[0052] In FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 another form of embodiment of the tag
panel according to the invention is shown.
[0053] In this form of embodiment, the strip of material making up
the attachment is fixed on the opening 2 of the female head so that
the punch of the male tag panel passes through it.
[0054] Fixing the attachment to the periphery of the opening of the
female head is accomplished by weld points 15.
[0055] Advantageously, the part of the attachment that is over the
opening of the female head is provided with a slit 16 allowing the
punch to pass through. According to a further embodiment of the
invention, the attachment is provided with an area 17 coated with
adhesive to allow the fixing of the strip 9 of absorbent material,
said area being behind the part that covers the opening of the
female head, and said part being slit at 16.
[0056] This strip 9 of absorbent material is glued on the area 17
of the attachment and extends over the opening of the hollow head
that it covers.
[0057] It can be provided with a slit corresponding to the slit 16
to allow the punch to pass through.
[0058] FIG. 10 shows the position of the strip 9 glued to one end
of the attachment strip 8 and FIG. 9 shows that the other part of
the sampling strip 9 is free.
[0059] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a further of embodiment of the
invention in which the attachment strip 8 is fixed by weld points
15 onto the periphery of the opening of the hollow female head.
[0060] The area of the attachment strip 8 that covers the opening
of the female head is preferably slit at 16 to facilitate the punch
passing through.
[0061] The area of the strip covering the female head is provided
with an adhesive and the absorbent material 9 consists of a
preferably circular pad 18 glued over that area.
[0062] The absorbent material 9 is preferably also slit at 16.
[0063] In the forms of embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 8
to 12, the fixing of the strip making up the attachment by weld
points 15 is designed to break, thus enabling the separation of the
tag panel from the sampling means after it has been attached to the
ear.
[0064] Advantageously, the male tag panel, the female tag panel and
the attachment 8 are provided with identical numerical,
alphabetical or bar-coded markings, for example, for
identification.
* * * * *